People who suffer from the alcohol flush reaction that the doc talks about in this week's video can't take even one drink. Their face turns red and they can feel sick and drowsy and feel their heart racing. This happens because the ALDH2 gene is broken. If you're of East Asian ancestry, you're more likely to have this broken gene than anyone else. Sorry.

There are genetic reasons why some people get hideous hangovers while others don't suffer so much, but in general the hangover is there for a reason: to stop us drinking so much next time. A foolproof hangover cure could result in people getting the drinks in until they, y'know, die.

Children of alcoholics are about four times more likely than most to develop alcohol problems. They also have a higher risk of developing other behavioral and emotional problems. Just because one of your parents has issues with alcohol it doesn't mean you will too. Alcoholism isn't, of course, just about genes: it's a complex disease that is influenced by many different factors.

Seems the Drosophila fruit fly can be seen as a model for human alcohol-induced behaviours. Exposed to alcohol vapour in a device called, rather brilliantly, an inebriometer, the flies visibly get drunk. As in humans, repeated alcohol consumption leads to tolerance. But not in flies with the so-called hangover gene mutation - who also have a shortened life span. Hmm...

December 08: Alcohol abuse 'genetics' revealed.